Many medical conditions require treatment that includes medication administered through injections or infusions. Injections are often administered on a regular schedule, and patients needing regular injections often inject the medication themselves. Patients may use conventional, single-use hypodermic syringes filled manually using medication ampoules for injections, or medication may be provided to a patient in single-use syringes that are pre-filled with a correct dosage of the medication. In both approaches, the syringes and needles used are disposed following a single injection for safety and health concerns.
Handling and disposal of syringes is a safety concern for both patients and medical professionals. Accidental stabs from handling syringes and needles are a common problem and can cause serious concerns for disease transmission. Typical syringes include a sheath on the needle that a user must remove prior to an injection and replace after the injection for disposal. Removal and replacement of the sheath requires a user to place his or her fingers in close proximity to an unshielded needle and can often lead to an accidental stab. In addition, a sheath is often attached to a syringe such that it will not fall off without a significant amount of force applied by a user, and the force required may lead to a slip and an accidental stab. After an injection is administered, a user handling a syringe may accidentally stab themselves while trying to re-shield or dispose of the used syringe and needle.
In addition to the risk of accidental stabs, conventional syringes may cause difficulties in inserting a needle at the correct location and minimizing the amount of pain caused by injections. Needles are provided with a bevel on the end of the needle that creates a sharp pointed tip to increase the ease with which the needle can be inserted into the skin. The sharp pointed bevel allows a user to accurately target an injection site and insert the needle in a way that reduces pain caused by the insertion. Typical syringes include a needle that is attached to the barrel of the syringe by a threaded attachment that does not allow the needle to rotate. To orient the bevel of the needle, a user may have to hold the syringe at an awkward angle and may have difficulty effectively controlling the syringe and needle.
Elderly patients and patients afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis may have difficulty safely handling and disposing of syringes and needles. The small size of needle covers and the force required to remove them can cause problems for patients who may be weaker or may not have a level of dexterity necessary to safely handle a syringe. In addition to creating an increased risk of accidental stabs from needles, a patient's age or medical condition may also make it more difficult to align a needle for an injection. Patients suffering from arthritis or other joint afflictions may find it painful or even impossible to orient the bevel of a syringe properly for an injection.
More effective syringe systems are needed to address these and other problems posed by currently available syringe systems. There is a need for a syringe system that shields syringe needles and protects a user after an injection is administered without requiring a user to carefully replace a small cap on the needle. There is also a need for syringe systems that facilitate orientation of the needle bevel of a syringe to give accurate injections and reduce patient pain.